AUSTRALIAN COLONIES, VICTORIA, POSTAL HISTORY

Lot 383		Estimate: $400T 1849 (26th Jun) entire letter headed 'Marmalaid Creek' to Melbourne with fair strikes of framed 'PAID AT/BUNNENYONG' in red, rated '8' for carriage of 51-80 miles, backstamps of 'BUNNEYONG' and 'MELBOURNE/PORT PHILLIP'. Ex Purves
Lot 384		Estimate: $250T 1853 (9th Feb) small envelope Melbourne to Ballarat bearing 2d Purple Brown Queen-on-Throne (four good to large margins), tied by pie-crust '1/V' cancel. Some annotation and slight soiling, otherwise intact and fine
Lot 385		Estimate: $400T 1854 (17th June) stampless outer entire, Official Mail to the PMG, with 'PAID/JU17/1854/MELBOURNE' struck in red and No. '14' butterfly handstamp struck in red alongside. The butterfly handstamp was used in 1854-55 as a receiving mark on Official Mail. Some age spots, otherwise fine and scarce
Lot 386		Estimate: $500T 1854 (24th June) stampless envelope (small faults) Hamilton to Launceston. Oval 'HAMILTON/JU24/1854/VICTORIA' and scarce boxed 'PAID AT/HAMILTON' struck in black, mss. "1/-" in red. Launceston backstamp 6th July 1854
Lot 387		Estimate: $650T Realised Price : $500 1855 (1st June) envelope (roughly opened at left) from Battersea U.K. to Melbourne ("To be left at the Post Office till called for"), 'SHIP LETTER/FREE/AU 27/1855/GPO VICTORIA' arrival handstamp in red on reverse. 'ADVERTISED/AND/UNCLAIMED' in black and large '1d' applied in red, the envelope returned to the U.K. and to the sender inside a 'Returned Paid Letter' envelope (some staining). Interesting contents refers to the Crimean War "the Allies are still beseiging (sic) Sebastapol every time the Russians attempt to meet us in the open field they are completely routed and cut to pieces"! Unusual and scarce
Lot 388		Estimate: $750T Realised Price : $575 1856 (29th Sep) envelope (small tear top left) Warringal to England bearing fine 3d Half-Length pair (left unit touched at base) tied by indictinct barred oval cancel. Large '1d' and 'AUSTRALIAN/PACKET/PAID/LIVERPOOL/JA 7/57' struck in red, average 'WARRINGAL' and 'MELBOURNE' oval datestamps on reverse. A little roughly opened, otherwise fine and most attractive
Lot 389		Estimate: $200T Realised Price : $150 1860 (10th Apr) 'REGISTERED LETTER' receipt for a letter addressed from U.K. to 'Geelong Road/Footscray/Victoria' with Old Cavendish Street incoming and outgoing datestamp. A rare survivor - the only example to Victoria we have recorded
Lot 390		Estimate: $650T Realised Price : $650 1860 (25th Jul) outer entire to Birmingham "via Marseilles" bearing 3d Beaded Oval (3) and 1/- Blue (perf fault at left), tied by untidy strikes of barred numeral '1', overpaying the double rate by 1d. 'MELBOURNE' and 'BIRMINGHAM/SP 13/60' cds's on reverse
Lot 391		Estimate: $1,000 Realised Price : $750 1862 (24th Oct) cover from Talbot to Hamburg carried aboard ill-fated "Colombo", which sank off the Laccadives, showing superb strike of 'Saved from the wreck of/the Colombo.' Eight covers from this wreck recorded for Victoria, this being the only example to a destination other than U.K.
Lot 392		Estimate: $300T 1865 (25th Jan) cover Geelong to London "via Marseilles" bearing 6d Adapted Design 4d Laureate (flaw - frame above 'VICT' damaged), tied by Geelong duplex, red 'LONDON/MR 15/65/PAID' and arrival cds in black on reverse. Cover faults, incl missing back flap and re-inforced along top edge, still attractive
Lot 393		Estimate: $450T 1866 (28th Oct) inwards cover Grantham U.K. to "Alwin Brook/Australia", with 'POST TOWN/NOT KNOWN IN/N.S.W.' struck in red and framed 'POST TOWN/NOT/KNOWN IN VICTORIA' in black. Fine appearance
Lot 394		Estimate: $500T Cancellations: Selection of Barred Numerals on covers (largely 'Tatts' origin) including Freeman & White rarity ratings S (14), SS (9), R (10) and RR (2), a very small number of duplicates, quality of strikes generally good and legible (81)